Assistant Research Professor

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Job Description Summary Organizational Summary Statement: The Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPIB) and Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health (GEOH) within the University of Maryland, School of Public Health (SPH) seek an outstanding, infectious disease epidemiologist and researcher with expertise and interest in influenza, airborne infection transmission, environmental and immunologic determinants of transmission, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. This Professional Track, Assistant Research Professor position will have a primary appointment as a member of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a secondary appointment in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health. The position will be supported primarily by research funds through the Public Health Aerobiology (PHAB) Lab and Center for Evaluating Modes of Influenza Transmission with additional support (30%) provided by EPIB for teaching infectious disease epidemiology and outbreak investigation at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The University of Maryland College Park is an internationally recognized leader in creating knowledge and innovative, workable solutions to address society's grand challenges including global pandemics of airborne respiratory diseases. We are seeking a creative individual with the initiative to leverage our trans-disciplinary, cross-campus, national and international collaborations to build a collaborative research portfolio on the environmental determinants of infectious respiratory diseases focused on airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens and global pandemic prevention. The candidate will join a well-established and funded group bringing together faculty with expertise in aerobiology, engineering, indoor built environment, global and occupational health, biostatistics, and behavioral and community health. The new Professional Track faculty member will provide leadership in epidemiological study design including observational studies, clinical trials, developing research funding proposals, and building additional capacity with an emphasis on adding novel interdisciplinary partnerships and capacity (e.g., household and community studies, clinical trials, immunology, infectious disease modeling, causal machine learning methods). The new faculty member will augment a group of researchers who pursue innovative solutions to structure future resilient living, working, and public environments to maximize health equity, worker health and safety, and protect global health and economic productivity against the threat of future pandemics. The continued rapid emergence of new highly transmissible influenza and other respiratory viruses and proliferating vaccine hesitancy emphasize that epidemic and pandemic infection control and protection of front-line workers and vulnerable populations will not be achieved with pharmaceutical interventions alone. The EPIB and GEOH Departments will move into a new building in 2027 including new clinical research and laboratory facilities specifically designed for infectious disease and airborne infection research. The EPIB and GEOH departments comprise a distinguished group of tenure- and professional-track faculty engaged in significant scholarship across multiple domains. Areas of expertise include airborne infectious disease transmission, climate change and health, water reuse, environmental justice, environmental health policy, air and dietary contaminants, community engagement, and global health. The UMD School of Public Health faculty, students and staff are committed to the just transformation of institutionalized structures of oppression and the development of an inclusive, equitable community. EPIB currently offers 6 academic degree programs including 3 Masters tracks and 3 PhD programs. In addition, the Department offers two certificate programs. GEOH offers a BS in Global Health, an MPH concentration in Environmental Health Sciences and the MS and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences. GEOH also offers a BS in Environmental Justice in collaboration with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The successful candidate will teach courses on infectious disease offered primarily through the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Qualifications: Applicants must possess qualifications meriting appointment as an Assistant Professor on the professional research track in the School of Public Health including a terminal degree in Epidemiology or closely related field. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding scholarship, relevant expertise and strong participation in externally funded research in influenza epidemiology, airborne infectious disease transmission and/or epidemic and pandemic respiratory disease prevention; have teaching experience using inclusive pedagogies, preferably at the graduate level; and demonstrate a commitment to working with a diverse body of students in a mentoring role. The successf